Another Tea Party
by Risaku
Summary: Haruhi's dressed as The Rabbit. Tamaki thinks he's the King of Hearts. Yes, that's right. The Ouran Host Club is cosplaying as characters from "Alice in Wonderland". However, the costumes aren't the strange thing about this tea time.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright. Well, lately I have been reading a lot of fanfiction and rewatching anime—I think that I am back, dear readers. Unfortunately, to a lot of your disappointment, I'm sure, I will be writing a brief Ouran High School Host Club piece. My skills are probably rusty, but I am sure I could elicit a few "AWW!" 's from some people. So, shall we have it? : )**

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><p>It was club activities time and the host club was up and running. Beautiful ladies each took their turns with their commissioned hosts, all squealing or blushing so deeply that they could make a tomato run for its money. Haruhi was walking past each host's area to check if anybody needed refreshments, since she had no customers, and was taking a short time on each host to fume over their ridiculously expensive cosplays.<p>

Today, the theme was "Alice in Wonderland". However, the characters each of the hosts were to play today were slightly different from the dream Haruhi had had—but nobody knew of that, anyway. As a change, Haruhi was the rabbit this time. She had on bunny ears, a silky top with a black vest, and black slacks. An expensive looking silver pocket watch dangled on her waist and white gloves adorned her small hands. Who could forget the rather humiliating bunny tail? Certainly not Haruhi.

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><p><em>When she had arrived in the club room this afternoon and was presented with her cosplay, she downright refused. "I wouldn't even wear that normal bunny suit when you idiots spilled tea all over..!" She shouted until the twins quickly covered her lips, casting anxious glances over at Hani, her eyebrow twitching in irritation all the while. Tamaki cried out loud, tackling the trio to the floor in a delayed attempt to silence her. <em>

"_SHHH! HARUHI! DO NOT TELL ON DADDY, PLEASE! AND IT WAS THOSE SHADY TWINS WHO SPILLED TEA ALL OVER USA-CHAN!" he cried exasperatedly, as the twins stared in horror at their idiot prince. Realizing what he just did, Tamaki's mouth clamped shut and he chanced a slow glance over at the small seventeen year old—but, the boy was much too occupied with picking out what cakes he wanted to eat for the day. The three of them breathed a sigh of relief, and Haruhi smacked away the twin's hands from her mouth._

"_I'm still not wearing that thing," she replied calmly. "But Haruhi~! You'd look so good in it. We designed it ourselves!" The twins chorused, throwing their arms over her shoulders. She sighed deeply and shook her head furiously. "I am not doing it! I AM NOT DOING IT." She shouted, irritation lacing into her voice._

_Suddenly, she felt a chill over the nape of her neck and shivered, cautiously turning around to see if she could find the source of her discomfort. Seated across the way at his usual table, Kyoya had his fingers poised over the keys of his laptop—but his eyes were not on the screen. His mouth was pressed in a straight line and his glasses caught a glare from the lights above him, making his eyes invisible to their own. She gulped audibly and felt the chill run up her spine once again. "You are too loud." He replied coolly. Turning back to his screen once again, he started to type—just as she was turning away to continue her tirade at the Twins and Tamaki. When she opened her mouth, though, another voice sounded._

"_And you will wear that cosplay..unless of course, you would like me to raise your quota?" He said off-handedly, going back to his work. Haruhi's eyes narrowed at the Shadow King. _

"_Fine." She seethed, snatching the bag with her cosplay from the table. "Oh Haruhi! Let Daddy come and help his little girl!" Tamaki called, only to be yanked back by the twins. "You pervert! What kind of father goes to watch his daughter change?" They teased, taunting their idiot friend further._

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><p>Every time she walked past the customers, they covered their lips and squealed, commenting on how feminine "he" looked in this cosplay, that the tail and bunny ears were just soooo cute. She bit back her biting remarks and smiled sweetly, replying with things such as: "Oh, ha! I am sure they would look much cuter on you." Or, "..Really? I've never really been a bunny before."<p>

"AWWW! Look at my cute little Haruhi in his cute little bunny ears!" Tamaki gushed, tilting his head slightly and putting a hand to his cheek. Unlike her dream, he was not the "Mad Hatter". Somehow, he dubbed himself the "King of Hearts", claiming that he just _obviously_ was born for the role. Everybody knew however, that he just liked the sound of it because it had the "king" part to it.

He wore a crown of red velvet and gold, a long trailing fur-cape attached to his shoulders. His attire was, of course, covered in heart patterns, and reminded Haruhi of a card deck. Tamaki turned back to his customer, a girl with long black hair and blush dusted cheeks, and flashed a gentle smile at her. "Now my princess—you must smile for me, or it shall be away with your heart." He replied in a whisper, inching a bit closer to her face. The girl swooned, the blush deepening on her cheeks. Haruhi couldn't help but roll her eyes and she turned away from the two, continuing on her way with the snack cart. Next stop—Hani and Mori.

Hani and Mori were tea party guests to the "Mad Hatter"; to which Hani gleefully accepted his role of eating cake. Upon seeing her, he tumbled away from his guests and into Haruhi's arms, who was quick to move the cart out of his way. "HAAAARU-CHANNNNNNN!" He sailed over to her. She looked down at the small boy in her arms and blinked. "Yes, Hani-senpai?" she replied. The boy pulled out Usa-chan from apparently no-where and shoved it up to Haruhi's face. "Look Haru-chan! You and Usa-chan are one and the same today! It's so cute." He hugged his bunny tightly as Haruhi carefully set him on his feet.

"Would you like some refreshments?" She asked, already knowing the answer. The sweet boy nodded earnestly and took the liberty of dragging the cart over to his table and piling plate upon plate of desserts on the table. Mori watched his charge quietly for a moment, before lightly tapping the boy's wrist as he was about to set another plate down. "Mitsukuni. Enough." "But Takashiiiii~!" The little boy whined. Mori shook his head, carefully taking the cake from him and placing it back on the cart. He nodded at Haruhi in apology, as their clients squealed at the "protective-close-cousin-relationship" scene before them. She heaved a slight sigh as she rolled away, on to the twins next.

True to her dream, the twins were the Cheshire cat. They wore matching outfits of purple neko ears, red collars, purple striped sweaters, and black slacks. Black and purple striped tails were attached from behind and whiskers were drawn over their cheeks. "Let's play…" they chorused, twirling in a few circles. "The Which One Is Hikaru Game!" they finished, swishing their identical tails. The two girls seated before them shifted nervously, one played with her curls while the other pursed her lips. Finally, one pointed her finger at Kaoru. "You're Hikaru!" She declared bravely. The twins made buzzing noises, "Wrong! Let's play again!" As they started to spin back and forth, disappearing and reappearing from behind a pillar.

"Refreshments, ladies?" Haruhi asked, rolling past. The girls nodded, slightly bummed. "It's so hard to tell them apart!" Mused one of them, as the other huffed in agreement. _"No, it really isn't,"_ Haruhi thought. But she merely smiled and served them their Darjeeling tea and strawberry cake.

When she finished, she glanced around. Kyoya had no guests to entertain and sat at the table in the secluded corner, his fingers clacking away at his laptop. She sighed slightly, not really wanting to go over to him—but she would, since it was only polite to ask him, since she made an effort to check on everybody. Without taking the cart, she walked over to him and stood off to the side silently. After a while, Haruhi walked back to the cart and poured him a cup of tea and set it down before walking away, not really wanting to know whether the Shadow King found it to his liking or not. _"He'd better not add that one cup of tea to my debt, if he doesn't want it."_ She thought, still somewhat miffed about his earlier threat.

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><p>Although he managed and kept track of all expenses and money matters of the Host Club as suspected, he often was doing other things besides the expected. Most of the time, he found himself always restlessly looking for some task to do, whether it was fixing presentations for his brothers or writing, proofreading, and rewriting his essays. He often checked and managed his business chains, as well as checking into the matters of the Ootori family's businesses.<p>

But lately—no, not quite lately. For a while now, he really felt no need to rush to do those things during this club time—he could do most of those tasks at home, in less than a couple of hours. No, now, he felt himself having to watch the new host's every move. Her movements, attitudes, facial expressions, thoughts, and all other things fascinated him to no end. He even felt as though he must keep note—and started to write down notes at any given moment in a new black book he kept at his side at all times, should he find another interesting aspect about her. Today, he was incredibly amused by her outfit. To be honest, it was he who suggested that Haruhi be the Rabbit, instead of Alice, as was originally planned. The twins and Tamaki swooned at the idea, already rushing to the stores for the perfect cosplay.

He had been watching her—he always watched her—and noticed the dispute about her cosplay. When she seemed so adamant about not wearing it, he felt slightly irked and a tiny bit disappointed at not seeing his vision come to life—but then he thought, "I am an Ootori. I can make this happen," and proceeded to hold the debt threat over her head. And so the debacle was corrected. He had turned back to his screen, only to be looking at Haruhi's lovely picture—and as he heard her huffing and puffing, he felt like smiling.

He loved the way she pursed her lips at the ridiculous antics of the club's members, and the way she always rolled her eyes at the swooning ladies never failed to amuse him. He watched as she made her rounds to the other hosts with the refreshment cart and thought, _"At least she's useful and works,"_ before he turned back to something not-so-Haruhi related.

About thirty minutes later, as he was correcting an Italian essay, he felt her presence. _"What will she do?"_ he thought curiously, opting to ignore her. She remained standing there, until a few moments passed. Then, she walked away. Slightly disappointed, Kyoya inwardly frowned. He closed his eyes and stretched his arms behind him, until he heard a satisfying crack, and reopened his eyes to find a steaming cup of tea sitting next to his laptop. _"Quiet as a mouse,"_ he mused, allowing himself a slight smirk. His eyes slid slowly to the other side of the room to Haruhi, who was turned away from him, apparently cleaning up the aftermath of dishes from Hani's table. His eyes slid back to the cup of tea she poured for him, he picked it up and held it to his lips. The aroma wafted up to his nose and he sighed softly, _"I hate Darjeeling," _

He twisted his wrist slightly, having the tea swish and swirl in the teacup. He took a sip of it. Despite the displeasing taste of the tea, he found himself smiling like an idiot—just in time for Mori to glance over at him and see. The smile immediately fell from his face and he raised an eyebrow at his fellow host, daring him to do something. Mori merely smirked, looking back to clean some bits of icing from Hani's chin.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the positive feedback! This story is actually supposed to be a oneshot—but I suppose I could bend the rules a bit and write an installment or two. Bear with me now; I usually only write Naruto fanfiction!**

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><p>Club hours were nearing their end and the last flow of ladies were shooed out—politely, of course. The twins sighed and slumped onto their settee, their hands clasped tightly together. "It's not that hard to tell us apart, is it?" Hikaru muttered to his twin, his eyes darkening in disappointment. Kaoru rubbed Hikaru's head in a comforting way and wrapped him in a hug. "No, it's not. But it doesn't matter because the only one that would matter is able to tell us apart," He said, smiling slightly as his eyes slid over to Haruhi. Hkaru's followed suit, and a smile appeared on his lips as well. In fact, his slight disappointment seemed to completely disappear as he hopped up from the settee and dragged his twin with him to go see said person.<p>

Haruhi was heaving a sigh as she filled tray after tray with dirtied cake dishes. _"Where does all of that cake go?"_ She thought darkly, careful to not overload the trays, which would automatically result to an addition to her debt, no doubt. The hair on the back of her neck prickled upwards as she hunched her shoulders a bit, casting a glance over her shoulder. Her eyes widened as she saw the raucous twins—heading straight for her. With a cry, she quickly set the trays onto the cart and pushed it out of the way of the oncoming twin devils.

"HARUHIIIII~!" The twins chorused, tangling their arms around her, as they were accustomed. Haruhi's eyes narrowed slightly, and she slumped in their arms. "What?" She bit out, not bothering to look at the two. "Come on, Haruhi! It wasn't that bad, was it? You look great!" Commented Kaoru, running a finger lightly over the silk bunny ear closest to him. "Yes, you do! But of course you would. It is a Hitachiin original." Basked Hikaru, mirroring his twin's actions, nuzzling his cheek to Haruhi's. She groaned loudly and tried to wiggle out of their grasp.

And upon seeing their antics, the idiot prince came bounding her way as well. "HARUHIIIIIIII~! MY SWEET DAUGHTER, IN THE HANDS OF SUCH RUFFIANS? I SHAN'T HAVE IT. OFF WITH YOUR HEADS!" He cried, pointing an accusing finger at the two. The twins only proceeded to squeeze her even tighter between them, both nuzzling her cheek. "Ruffians? Pff. At least we're not an idiot king like you!" Teased Hikaru.

"Ahem." The clearing of a throat stopped all movement immediately, and everybody slowly turned their heads to look at Mori, who, was standing there, loading another tray full of dishes. _"Shut up and help, or stay out of the way,"_ He might as well have said. Haruhi smiled her thanks to Mori as the twins released their hold upon her, and Tamaki, finger still pointing at the twins, stood there slackjawed. "BUT MORI-SENPAIIII~! MY DAUGHTER WAS IN TROUBLE!" Tamaki squealed, his hands flying to his cheeks. All he got in response was an "Ah." As Haruhi filled the tray while Mori held it. "Awww…" Tamaki pouted, his big puppy eyes on, as he walked to his corner. Once he was there, he drew circle patterns in the dirt and looked over at them every once in a while.

"Thank you, Mori-senpai." Haruhi greeted the stoic host. He nodded and smirked a bit in response, turning to put the tray onto the cart. Haruhi stood behind the cart and proceeded to push it away to the kitchenette, as Hani came bounding up to Mori. "Are you ready, Takashii~?" The small boy gushed, squeezing Mori's wrist in one hand and Usa-chan in the other. Mori nodded before sparing side glances at Kyoya and Haruhi, letting the smaller boy drag him away.

As she went away to the back room, Kyoya stopped watching her and sat back in his chair, cracking his neck from hours of leaning over his laptop. Soon enough, he felt a stare and glanced across the room at the watcher, raising an eyebrow at him. Tamaki had his puppy eyes on, a strange stream of tears cascading down his cheeks. _"..I should add an eye drop limitation to the budget,"_ he thought. Before he knew it, Tamaki had inched his way over to his best friend and was clinging to the dark haired boy's legs. "MOTHER! HARUHI IS MAD AT ME~!" He whined, nuzzling his face to Kyoya's pant leg. He sighed deeply, leaning his cheek onto his hand and crossing his legs, ultimately throwing Tamaki off. "Go home, Tamaki." He said, closing his eyes so that those puppy dog eyes wouldn't be looking into his own steely eyes. "But motherrrrr~." He kept whining. Kyoya quickly smacked him upside the head, "Idiot. Go home and feed Antoinette." At the mention of his sparkly golden retriever, all was well and Tamaki was sailing around the room once again. Kyoya pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, and when he opened his eyes, he saw Haruhi quickly walking away with his teacup in hand. He smirked slightly, turning to pack up his laptop and homework.

He carefully slipped his Haruhi book into his bag, next to his laptop, smirk still on his face. What he didn't notice, was the sidelong glance that Mori had cast upon the exchange, nor the slight smirk upon his lips. The twins waited for Haruhi at the door, Hikaru already slinging her bag over his shoulder. "Haruhi! Hurry up," He called. "Shut up, Hikaru. I didn't see you bothering to help me," She retorted, going back to the back section to change out of her ridiculous costume. "DADDY COULD HELP YOU WITH THAT, HARUHI!" Tamaki started to run after her, practically swan diving into the curtains—only for a hand to stop him in a direct hit to the face. "STAY OUT!" She cried, the idiot prince skidding to a stop a few feet in front of the twins. They snickered at his removal.

"Tono! Tono! You faileddddd. Your precious little daughter wouldn't let her papa help her change." They switched every other word, smiling mischievous smiles. He took their bait and chased after the two, "I CAN HOLD HER BAGS! I AM HER FATHER! HARUHI! TELL THESE RUFFIANS TO LET YOUR PAPA HOLD YOUR BAGS!" He bellowed, almost crashing into the table Kyoya was seated at. "Mother, help meee!" He begged Kyoya, only for him to shake his head and start pushing in his chair, as he turned to leave. "Hopeless idiot," he muttered as he started to walk away.

Just as he passed, Haruhi came out from the curtains in her regular school uniform, only to have the terrible trio snatch her up and run her out of the room, practically knocking Kyoya over in their midst.

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><p>Haruhi opened the door to her apartment and tossed her bag onto the table, slumping into the couch. "Ughhh.." She heaved a great sigh, pressing a hand to her temple. The trio had dragged her out of the music room, only to sit and fight over who would take her home for roughly forty-five minutes. Tired of their bickering, she just started to walk past them, putting a hand up in an unenthusiastic wave. "I have to cook dinner for dad, later." She replied. Being the wishful idiot he was, Tamaki soared over to her, following her closely. "Oooooh! LOOK AT THAT, YOU RUFFIANS! HARUHI IS GOING HOME TO FIX FOOD FOR HER PAPA! WHAT A GOOD DAUGHTER SHE ISSS!" He scooped her up in another tight hug. "Tamaki-senpai.." She growled, wiggling from his grasp. "Who said you were my dad, idiot!" And with this, she started to bolt away as quickly as she could, hearing the twins snickering at her rejection.<p>

Shaking the memory from her mind, she crawled over to the coffee table and pulled out her homework. "Okay..I have a French essay to write and I have to study for the arithmetic test that's tomorrow," She muttered to herself, starting on her essay.

"Haruhiiiii! Get your elbows off of that table!" her father called from his room, stepping out and straightening his hair. Her pursed his pretty, lipsticked lips at her, before smiling at his daughter. "How was school~? And that handsome host club?" He asked, sitting beside her. She rubbed the bridge of her nose and looked at him. "..It couldn't have been that bad, Haruhi." He supplied, only for her to roll her eyes. "I'll start on dinner," She started to stand up, but Ranka pulled her down while he stood up himself. "Nah, that's alright. I'll be working late, so lock up. Don't let that idiot Tamaki in here, either!" He grabbed a house key from the table and winked at her, his long red wig was the last thing she saw before he disappeared through the door.

Watching him leave, she sat back down to her homework, going over her notes so that she could write her essay.

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><p>"Assets, Kyoya." Yoshio replied, turning from the huge floor length window to look at his third son. The light of the setting sun glared against both of their glasses, hiding their eyes from each other. "What about assets, father?" The younger replied, his hands placed carefully at his sides. "You must decide which assets are particularly necessary for you to be successful. That Fujioka girl—" "Haruhi-san." "Yes, Haruhi-san. She would be a very important asset to you—you should look into her future and find yourself a spot in it. Not only would she be a strong woman for you—but a very good addition to the Ootori name." The older man turned back to the window, a slight smile upon his lips. <em>"..He is already more than ready to take hold of the company—he just needs that girl. A great mind such as hers shouldn't be taken away into the Suohs—and I am sure Kyoya could learn to like her enough."<em> He thought, somewhat oblivious to the feelings of possession Kyoya already felt about the petite brunette. "Is that so?" Kyoya replied, after his father had paused for quite a bit. Yoshio nodded, "That is so. Now go along—I have business to attend to." He dismissed his son, his smile widening as he heard the door close. "Scheming again, I see." Replied a smooth, girlish voice. He turned to see that Fuyumi, his daughter, and taken Kyoya's place before his desk. "What of it?" He replied curtly, accepting the cup of tea she offered him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Happy New Year, everybody! Hope you enjoy : )**

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><p>He sipped the tea slowly and let the liquid refresh his dry mouth, staring at his daughter with a raised eyebrow. Although she mirrored his expression, he could only be reminded of his late wife—bless her soul—and looked down at the cup of tea. He stopped himself from wrinkling his nose slightly, "I hate Darjeeling," he seethed like a sullen child whose antics had been found out. Fuyumi shook her head slightly, smiling sadly.<p>

"I like Haruhi-san, myself. She is a very sharp girl—but bringing her into our world could be a very dangerous move." She clasped her hands and let them rest on her stomach, gazing at the two extravagant rocks that rested upon her left ring finger.

"Also, do you think that doing some setup like this will work? Kyoya is very eager to please you and succeed in any task you may give him—but he could probably catch up to your plans before they are even half way finished. If that happens, I can bet that he will change them if they are not to his liking." Yoshio, of course, had already considered his daughter's words before she had come to him. That sort of thinking and planning were expected from an elite businessman such as himself. He glanced up at her, face blank of all emotions.

"You worry about her being eaten alive, I presume? Well, Fuyumi..she has already been swimming with sharks for a while now." He murmured, a small smirk curling itself upon his lips. She shook her head again,

"Haruhi-san is a very independent woman. How can you be so sure that she would agree to something so..arranged?" Yoshio set the teacup on his desk gently and dabbed carefully at the fine china with a napkin before looking up at her.

"As you said—Fujioka is a very sharp, independent woman. I am sure that from what she has already seen, she knows how she must be to advance in this world. Especially to be the top-par lawyer she wishes to be. I took a look into her mother's records—there is a very high bar that has been set. She could easily surpass it if she uses her sources accordingly—meaning, Kyoya and the Ootories."

"You must really not want the Suohs to have her if you're willing to let her use Kyoya." Fuyumi took this time to smirk, before her eyes became downcast. She was all too used to her father's willingness to use his children for his own purposes. Another glance at her ring finger, before she looked at him. "While that is true, I am fairly certain that Fujioka would not so callously use Kyoya in that way. Kyoya is more than able to succeed in any task I give him—he always soars with flying colors—and it is because of that that I believe that they may be able to fall for each other."

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><p>After the encounter with his father, Kyoya was slightly on edge. Even as he walked through the halls of his own home, he knew that he was being observed, being judged. The slightest mishap could have the company slip through his fingers! …Not that he had the company in his fingers yet to slip, but still. He could not have such things happen. The various servants he passed on the way had all sunk back, making sure to stay out of his way because when as he was in deep thought, or not in thought at all—his face could be rather intimidating, despite his fair features.<p>

Soon enough, he retreated to his room and closed the door, taking great care to lock it. His eyes roamed the spacious room, making sure nothing was out of place. No, the obsidian sheets upon his bed were carefully tucked in, not a single wrinkle. No dust could be seen on any surface within his quarters, no stray strings hanging from any fabric.

Being the son of a wealthy man, Kyoya's room was exquisite to say the least. In the middle of the room sat three long, black leather couches. The couches formed a square with the wall that contained a fireplace, a rather modern looking glass table in the square's center. On the left side of the fireplace was a spiraling staircase that led to the upper level of his room, which contained his personal bathroom, sleeping quarters, and office-like unit. The top level had a railing which prevented anybody from falling down to the first level, onto the glass coffee table. There were black, shutter-like doors that could be slid into place to hide the furnishings within for further privacy. His sleeping quarters was off to the right side, in the darkest corner of the room. None of the windows were near his bed. His bed was a large, four-poster, king-sized bed. It had an obsidian comforter, crisp white sheets, and four goose-feather pillows. The frame was set in fine mahogany wood, with a set of black velvet curtains that were often used to block out the godforsaken light and sound that perturbed his sleep.

Off to the other side was his bathroom, which was—as the rest of his room—top notch, complete with a toilet, island counter, waterfall shower/Jacuzzi tub, and walk in closet. The space between his sleeping quarters and bathroom contained a work desk, an easel, and shelves upon shelves of books.

Kyoya pinched the bridge of his nose—an action that he found himself doing a lot lately—and started up the stairs. He slid open one black shutter door and let himself in, sliding it shut behind himself before ungracefully flopping down onto the obsidian comforter. He sighed softly, running a hand through his hair. "Oh Haruhi.." he muttered, thinking about the petite brunette who just may be his making or downfall.

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><p>As she watched her father sip the last of his tea, she couldn't help but think that her father was a funny man. Other business partners saw him as a man to be feared and befriended, while she saw him as a scheming, match-making old man. The thought had her lips curling into a smirk, as she pictured her father in an old fashioned Japanese movie, playing a match maker woman. "Yes, you two would be a perfect match," He would mutter sagely, as his young "victims" would glance shyly at each other—oh, it was just so perfect! A giggle escaped her lips, and her father opened an eye to her sudden noise. "Yes, Fuyumi? Is there something funny you'd like to share with me?" He replied crossly, somehow knowing along the lines of what she had been thinking. She shook her head slightly, the smirk still on her face. "Nothing. My husband wanted me to come here to discuss a possibility of befriending the Nakamura company…" and so their business talk began.<p>

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><p>Haruhi sighed a bit as she put her pencil down, glancing down at her work. Her eyes glided easily over the practice math problems she did, and she spotted errors here and there. When she was finished, she packed up her materials stretched in a catlike manner, sighing delightedly when her back and shoulders popped. Suddenly, the cell phone in her pocket started buzzing. She rolled her eyes slightly—<em>"I mean honestly, why do I even need one of these?"<em>—she flipped it open and held it to her ear. "Hello?" she replied, waiting for the other person to respond.

"HARUHIIIIIIIIIII! MY DAUGHTER! DID YOU GET HOME OKAY? YOU DID NOT CALL PAPA WHEN YOU GOT HOME, THAT IS IF YOU GOT HOME. ARE YOU ALRIGHT! THOSE DEVILISH TWINS TRICKED ME AND I DIDN'T GET TO TAKE MY PRECIOUS DAUGHTER HOME!" The idiot nearly screamed, causing Haruhi to hold the phone away from her ear until he ended his bellowing. She narrowed her eyes slightly and pursed her lips, although he couldn't see her.

"Senpai, I am at home and I am fine. I am going to bed." She replied tersely, having had enough of his yelling for the day. "BUT HARUHI, TELL ME ABOUT THE DINNER WITH RANKA-SAN! HOW DID IT GO? WAS IT DELICIOUS?" "My father did not stay, so I did not cook—" "HARUHI! DOES THIS MEAN YOU HAVEN'T EATEN! I'LL BE OVER RIGHT AWAY!" Haruhi's stomach gave a rather comical growl at the mention of not eating, and she was left with a dial tone. She sighed exasperatedly, putting the phone on silent before closing it and placing it on the desk.

In a half an hour, Tamaki and the twins were there, causing a commotion at her door. The neighbors watched on in amusement as the handsome suitors—they thought—argued about who would ring Haruhi's doorbell.

"Here I goooo!" Tamaki muttered excitedly to himself, finger poised to ring the doorbell—only for a slender finger to dart past his own and stab the doorbell. "Too slow, Tono!" Hikaru and his counterpart stood there, two fingers poised at their foreheads as if in respect to a captain. Tamaki growled lowly and turned fully to face the two, steam blowing from his ears. "THIS IS MY DAUGHTER'S HOUSE, YOU RUFFIANS! WHY ARE YOU HEAR AT SUCH A LATE HOUR, ANYWAY? IT IS..IT IS 8 PM. BOYS SHOULD NOT BE OUTSIDE MY DAUGHTER'S LIVING PLACE AT A TIME SUCH AS THIS!" He "reasoned", the said Ruffians brushing him off by discussing another crazy getup they wanted to see Haruhi in. (A Hitachiin original, of course!)

Somewhere near the middle of his rant, Haruhi had opened the door and was staring blankly at the three. The blond idiot kept yelling, however, due to his back being to the door. The twins shrugged their arms and held their hands up in the air, before their eyes slid slowly to the girl in the doorway. Feeling a sudden chill, Tamaki shivered and looked to his two friends, noticing their stare. He gulped audibly before turning his head slowly to look at his precious "daughter". Amethyst met honey, and there was silence.

"Haruhi! Open up for Papa and let us leave these Ruffians out here. I brought you some food, like the good Papa I am!" He smiled at her, holding up the exceptionally wrapped boxes of food as a peace offering. Kaoru pushed him slightly to the side and Hikaru held up their own bunch of boxes, smiling cheekily. "We did, too! Ours is better though. We've got ootoro! Come on, Haruhi…fancy tunaaa! You know you want it!" They replied, wiggling their eyebrows. The glare that had accumulated itself upon her face had melted away into a blank façade. _"Ootoro.."_ She thought, her eyes nearly sparkling. She pushed her door open some, leaving the three to wrestle their way in. She found some dishes and silverware and set the table in a hurried manner, closing the door from the prying eyes of her neighbors with a sigh. _"It'd be a waste of food.."_ She reasoned with herself.

* * *

><p>After he rested for a half an hour, Kyoya had completed his homework and studying. By the time he finished, it was about 11 P.M., when he glanced at the clock. After putting his materials away, he slid open the door from his sanctuary and let himself back into the real world. He made his way out of his room, through the house, to the kitchen. His father went away to some urgent business meeting and Fuyumi had already gone home. Kyoya was used to eating alone, anyway. It didn't really matter.. (But it did.)<p>

"Kyoya-sama, what would you like?" Asked one of the elderly cooking staff. He shook his head slightly and held up a hand in dismissal. "I can do it myself, thank you." The woman nodded and left the raven haired teen by himself. He opened the refrigerator and gazed inside.

In the end, he opted to make himself some steak. He wasn't extremely hungry, but tired. Very tired. He winced slightly when he touched the slightly burned part of his wrist. See, although very exceptional in practically all areas, he was not exactly culinary artfully inclined. He glared at the angry red mark, a reminder of his imperfection. He bit off a piece of steak and chewed angrily, finishing his meal and cleaning up quickly. After his brief, lonely supper, he went back to his room. On his way, he saw no other signs of life and suspected that everybody else was asleep in their beds.

After changing into black satin pajama pants, Kyoya slipped between the crisp white sheets of his bed and closed the curtains around him, welcoming another night of dreamless sleep..

_He stood before his easel, peeking around it to glance at his subject. He narrowed his eyes in concentration as he flicked his wrist to create an important stroke, which would help define those perfect, piercing eyes. He stepped back from his work and frowned a bit. A voice from beyond the easel called to him, __**"Kyoya,"**__ his eyes widened a fraction as he stared at the portrait. __**"Kyoya!"**__ It called him again, a little bit of irritation evident in the voice. Finally, he realized that it was not the portrait itself calling him, but the subject. He glanced over the easel to the woman seated on the uncomfortable looking chair, her lips slightly pursed and her eyebrows knit into a slight frown on her otherwise perfect face. He stared back at the woman, somewhat coldly. "What is it, Eleanor?" He asked stoically. The raven haired beauty's pursed lips turned into a frown, as she ran a hand through her long, curly locks. "This is taking too long. I know that I asked you to make it as beautiful as I am, but come on. I am ready to die, I've been sitting in this awful chair for so long." She whined, standing up in a lithe, catlike manner. His eyes took in her every movement, repulsion hidden behind his eyes. "Beautiful.." he murmured, before turning back to his easel. "Yes, as beautiful as you are.." he continued, taking up his brush and dipping it in black paint. He scribbled all over the canvas in an almost childish manner, finally turning it so she could see. "Even more beautiful than the real thing. It's exquisite, isn't it, my dear? But I'll tell you something, my darling Eleanor. Yes, you are beautiful..but you will be nothing compared to her, no matter how hard you try." He seethed slightly, before taking up a palette knife and slashing the thing to ribbons. He tossed the palette knife back onto the table and left the room and the outraged woman, crying in fury over her mutilated portrait. _

_Tears stung her eyes and threatened to spill over, as she stared down at the remnants of her portrait. "I hate you, Kyoya! You're my husband. Why aren't you nice to me? I have been nothing more than a perfect wife to you, and I always get this from you! NOTHING! Coldness. Why is everything about her?" She cried, curling into a ball. _

_In his room—he refused to sleep in the same room as that woman—he sat down at his desk. A picture of a smiling Tamaki and his bride sat in front of him. A light glared over the glass, obscuring the face of the bride—but he knew well who she was. He slammed the frame down in a fit of fury, effectively shattering the glass. He gave an angry shout when some glass bits made their way into his fist. __**"Haruhi.."**__he whispered in his anguish, slamming his head on the desk, his fingers twisting themselves in his raven locks. _

Kyoya whimpered slightly, waking up to the darkness of his bed. He stared into the blackness of his sanctuary and ran a hand through his hair. "..I need Haruhi." He mused to himself, his eyes narrowed as the calculations already sprang to life behind those brilliant, obsidian orbs.


End file.
